After getting the signage at the front of his shop repainted, East Albury supermarket owner Bob Mathews thought he should do something with the building's "plain" entrance.
After a year that saw the coronavirus impact people's lives, Mr Mathews thought it appropriate to put something on the front of his shop celebrating the community.
He invited local graphic designer and artist Lisa Goff to create an artwork honouring East Albury's people and history.
Now completed, the mural will be presented as a gift to the community on Friday.
Ms Goff and Mr Mathews came up with a design that celebrated the area through time, combining paintings of local people and landmarks and as well as historical photos and maps.
Ms Goff started researching the project in September and spent the past month outside the shop bringing the 25-x-3-metre project to life.
She commissioned local Indigenous-based artist Tamara Murray to collaborate and create an impression of the Murray River and nearby Mungabareena Reserve, historically an important meeting site in East Albury.
Members of the community also helped create the project, including year 8 visual arts students from Xavier High School and a supermarket staff member.
Ms Goff said the historical photographs featured included images of the former wool mills, saleyards, community cricket matches and construction of the Hume Freeway and Albury Hospital.
She said it was important for her to use the "colours" of Albury in her artwork.
"They are really representative of the area in terms of the sky, grass and strong sun — we get bright colours here."
Mr Mathews said the Federal Minister for the Environment, Sussan Ley, would present the finished work to Mayor Kevin Mack on Friday.
The shop owner said he wanted to give the mural to the community so it could take ownership of it.
"It's the people's history ... so many people have lived here for many years and some families have been here for generations."
